Girl in a Yellow Dress
by spoons are for marmalade skies
Summary: The fourth installment of my quasiAU trilogy, Remus this time around as he struggles with lycanthropy, single parenthood, drugs, school and Sirius... rated R because anything could happen!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: J.K. owns most of the characters and settings and stuff, the happy italics are David Usher and the title is a sort of twisted version of this brutal L/J fic I started reading that desperately needed rewriting, a.k.a. a different EVERYTHING, it was HORRIBLE. And so if this is too angsty, or too dry, or too fast or too slow, hello world help me out!

Haaappy reading….

**Girl in a Yellow Dress**

_don't think so hard just smoke your cigarette_

_and fade off in the blue_

_cause people fade as people always do_

The first time Remus saw his father he had just turned six. His father brought a new broom. He put an arm around his son and pointed down the street, squinting into a bright summer's day.

"See that, Reme?"

"What is it?"

"The corner of a sidewalk." Remus resented the condescending tone. "That's where I met your mother."

"She told me it was in Illinois."

Remus listened to his father's laugh and was appeased. "Smart boy. I don't mean that corner. But it was the corner of a sidewalk. I looked up and – " He took in a quick breath. "_Ah._ Lovely. I wish I'd known about you sooner, boy."

Remus held his father for a long time, and then he went to fly his broom. After he had gone Remus held on to that memory, through nearly ten years of letters, and the exchange of photographs. Another week – two – then he would be there.

Eventually he came. Remus was with his friends, engrossed in the idle passage of time. By then he had so twisted the single real sight of his father that when a short, balding man approached him at an outdoor café Remus didn't recognize him.

It took a few moments for Remus's friends to alert him to their guest. Remus looked up in surprise.

"What's up?" he said, a little unnerved as the man continued to stare. He waved a hand. "You alive in there?"

"Remus?"

The man's voice was ragged with surpressed emotion. Remus rolled his tongue across his teeth and smacked his lips. "Yeah."

"Don't you know me, Remus?"

Remus put down his glass and thought. "Nope, sorry. Got a name?"

"I'm your father, Remus."

Remus looked at the ground, licked his lips. "Uh-huh."

"Remus –"

"You sure like my name, don't you? That's, like, the fourth time you've used it."

"I'm sorry." A whisper. Remus smiled tightly.

"Okay." He cracked his knuckles. "Very good."

"Want us to meet you back here in an hour?" James asked, picking up his jacket. Remus shook his head.

"Nah. Let's roll."

"Rem – son – can we talk? Just for a minute?"

"You can owl, can't you?"

"It's not the same."

"Sure," said Remus, "well. What can you do."

James and Sirius had gone on ahead. Remus waved good-bye and ran to catch up.


	2. Girl

Sirius sat whistling to himself and watching the streetlights change. He was ready to be entertained.

A girl walked by. He stopped to stare, then resumed his melody.

Another. He stopped again. "Clem! Hey, babe, what's up?"

She waved a few fingers and mouthed a hasty excuse. The next one turned out to be an ex-girlfriend. After that he focussed on male friends. Peter was the first to join him.

"How was your summer?"

"Good, you?"

Peter shrugged and nodded. "I ran into Clementine," he said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. Sirius closed one eye and aimed at a point half-way across the street.

"As did I. Did you – exchange words?"

"In fact we did. Are you up for a little fun later?"

"Courtesy of our China-girl," Sirius cooed. "I got some White last week."

Peter laughed nervously. "Well, you know, she just had grass."

"No worries, I might have enough for two." He clapped a hand on Peter's shoulder, and jumped as another landed on his.

"Christ!"

"I love you too." James squatted behind them. "Are you gentlemen planning a highly illicit party?"

"Yeaah…"

"I have Remus."

"That's everyone, then," Peter said. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Did the rest of the world die today? Hang it – babe! Hey, doll, get over here!"

A pretty blonde wandered up. Sirius took her hand and started writing on it. "I want you to give this to everyone you know, alright?" He kissed her wrist and sent her away. Having repeated the process a few more times he was ready to go.

* * *

Remus was inside, at the counter behind them. When he went back out he expected to find James and maybe Sirius. It was hard for him not to be angry that his father was there, in a crowd of school-mates he barely knew.

His father spotted him right away.

"Hey, kid," he said. Remus thought about their last meeting and scowled. So much for broken hearts.

"Hi, Dad," he said brightly. He handed a coffee to James and the other to Sirius. "I guess I'll get another."

"I'll come with you!"

Remus shrugged and let his father follow him in.

"I'm sorry about the other day, Remus. I didn't mean to spring on you like that."

"It's not a problem."

"Do you want me to – get you a coffee or something? Latte? Or a…"

"Latte's fine." Remus was fairly certain that that wasn't what his father had started to say, but he didn't care enough to push it. What he wanted was for his life to return to normal, which it no doubt would without his help. He accepted the steaming plasting cup and they exited in silence.

Sirius called him over at once to ask for the loan of his stereo and to string him in to yet another night of watching his friends load up behind his own poolhouse where James couldn't see. Better than meeting the old man again, he thought, or maybe he'd plead out of each for the other.

Down the street a girl snagged her sweater on a bench and swore. She was ready to go home.


End file.
